_HAUPTMANN_ is a German word usually translated as captain when it is
used as an officer's rank in the German , Austrian and Swiss armies .
While "_haupt_" in contemporary German means "main", it also has the
meaning of "head", i.e. _Hauptmann_ literally translates to "head
man", which is also the etymological root of "captain" (from Latin
_caput_ head). It equates to Captain in the British and US Armies ,
and is rated OF-2 in
NATONATO .

More generally, it can be used to denote the head of any
hierarchically structured group of people, often as a compound word.
For example, a _Feuerwehrhauptmann_ is the captain of a fire brigade,
while the word _Räuberhauptmann_ refers to the leader of a gang of
robbers.

In
Saxony during the
Weimar Republic , the titles of _Kreishauptmann
_ and _Amtshauptmann _ were held by senior civil servants.

The word may cognate with the Swedish Hövitsman , which has the root
meaning "Head man" or "the man at the head" and is closely related to
the word "hövding," meaning
ChieftainChieftain . Since medieval times, both
titles have been used for state administrators rather than military
personnel. See also Main articles: World War II
German ArmyGerman Army ranks
and insignia ,
Ranks of the German Bundeswehr , and Rank insignia of
the German Bundeswehr

RANK INSIGNIA

On the shoulder straps (Heer, Luftwaffe) there are three silver pips
(stars).